Delgado says he’ll be ready

Just got off the phone with Carlos Delgado and he said his fractured left hand has healed and he will begin swinging the bat next week.

“Itâ€™s back to where it was before the injury,â€™â€™ said Delgado. “I will be coming to spring training in good shape.â€™â€™

Delgado hit .258 with 24 homers and 87 RBI, with the run production numbers the lowest in his career since becoming a fulltime player in 1996 with Toronto. He began the season coming off wrist and elbow surgery, but said, “I think I had a horrible year and donâ€™t have an excuse.â€™â€™

Delgado also attributed the Metsâ€™ late season collapse to losing focus, saying, “I think we assumed we were going to win.â€™â€™

Delgado also said he didnâ€™t see anything from Roger Clemens that would cause him to think the seven-time Cy Young Award winner was using steroids when they were teammates together with the Blue Jays. He also said the Mets would be improved with Johan Santana. Those last two comments came as no surprise.

John Delcos enters his third season covering the Mets for The Journal News after eight seasons on the Yankees beat. Prior to coming to New York, John covered the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians.

To Scoop (Re: Delgado): He admitted that. He said he didn’t make the adjustments and was thinking too much. He’s been so consistent during his career that I think he deserves the benefit of doubt. You just don’t forget how to hit.-JD

I expect him to be back as well. He is not that old and doesn’t play catcher so I think injuries and an off year for him. If this is true and it’s not loss of abilities than expect a monster year for him.

The good news about that would be better production from Beltran w/some protection in the lineup and less pressure for Wright.

You know, I just don’t see any real improvement for anyone in the east right now. A Mets team that played well could still win the division.

I don’t like mortgaging the future for any one guy because with one injury he’s gone. And then all those that you traded are gone too.

We are not replacing Tom Glavine here. Remember we are still replacing Stever Trachsel. Pedro will fill in (and improve on if healthy) for Glavine. We still need to find a 5th starter. In the east that is all we will need is a good 5th guy. I would think that the younguns would be good as that guy.

AN ace would be nice but with the cost in prospects and the cost to sign it would be a burden for the team. I know they don’t want to start paying luxury tax.

I have to disagree about mortgaging the future. I actually agree with your point CLM, however, Omar does not believe in youth playing. He has proven over and over since becoming GM that the kids are for desperation and are temps until a vet can be found. He has jerked Milledge, Pelfrey, Gotay, Flores, Humber, Heilmann when he was younger, around. He has never given a kid a year to show his stuff for a good period of time. So since he will only screw with Gomez and FMART and whomever else is still a prospect might as well trade them for real talent rather than the mediocrities he traded Milledge for.
All I can say is thank goodness he wasn’t GM when Reyes/Wright were in the system because if he were, they would be elsewhere now.
Remember Omar would rather bring up Lawrence, a proven failure for a key September game than pitch Humber. Choosing Lawrence over anyone says it all about what Omar thinks of youth.

Jon Heyman was on the FAN today and mentioned that the Mets are “very serious” about Santana and many officials believe that they have the best offer. They have told the Twins that they are willing to give up any 4 minor leaguers.

I hope and believe that Delgado will bounce back. There were times when we thought he was back but he went back into a funk a few days later. He was the perfect example of the entire team last year. Coming off a magical and great year and expecting to repeat it without any urgency.

He sounded pretty confident on the radio today and believes he can go back to his normal numbers. A typical “Delgado” from him would really raise the Mets’ chances at the division.

I don’t think any professional athlete forgets mentally how to play. But the body does and they become mere mortals like all of us at the game they play and have to give it up (unless of course they use some kind of PED).

Just hope it was mental or an injury not the body reactions slowing down—-b/c then he is trying to adjust and guess on pitches and swinging early in the hope to make contact.

The most interesting part of that conversation was that Fat Man and Puppy Dog want the Muts to trade Reyes so badly so they can berate the FO for wks and mos.

I still hope Mets can get him. But it will be by default b/c the Sox and Yanks don’t want to make the trade.

Secretly, however, I feel the Coupons hope Yanks or Sox stepup b/c they don’t want to be “forced” by the fans into getting him and having to fork over a 7yr deal b/c of the money and b/c they don’t like to upset Bud Selig by being top bidders for players or draft picks.

“Choosing Lawrence over anyone says it all about what Omar thinks of youth.”

Have to disagree. I think these calls about letting guys like Lawrence play come from the Coupons having too much say in the on field decisions.

I still don’t have faith that they let Omar and Willie decide what is best on the field.

I still don’t think of them as the Mara’s who know something about their sport or Woody Johnson who just stays out of it.

They want to be part of the decision making process on something they obviously can’t make good decision about and doing it on the cheap (remember the Mets always think they can fix this guy or that guy-how many times have you heard that).

You combine those attributes and you get a franchise under their time w/1 WS.

Sloppy – I am frustrated by the lack of letting the kids play on the ML level as well. If you know Lawrence is awful (and they do) why not go with Humber? To protect his confidence? I don’t know and don’t get it.

I totally agree and mentioned that on this blog during the season last year. JD blogged that he disagreed but I am telling you that Jeff Wilpon has the final say and makes Omar do things that are just bad. jeff Wilpon calls the shots, that’s why the Kazmir trade was made just like the Milledge trade and Omar wasn’t around for the Kazmir trade so who do you think pushed for that deal, the same moron who pushed for the milledge deal.

The real problem is that Willie will not play kids. When given the choice between Humber & Lawrence in September he picked Lawrence. He played Green over Milledge when at the minimum Milledge should have been playing against left handed pitching. He never liked playing Gotay. The moment
Valentine came back from his first injury he put him back in the lineup even though he could not hit or field.

The fact is Willie is the reason the kids do not play more.
He learned this from his mentor Joe Torre.

I am not saying the Wilpons do not have some say in trades.
They own the team and this is their right unfortunately but
no one has ever shown that they call the dugout and tell Willie who to play. ( George used to do this all the time.)

The bottom line is unless Willie has no choice he will play the washed up veteran over the kid every time.
Omar needs to show some guts and force Willie to play the kids, but I doubt this will happen. Willie will figure out some way to bury Humber or Pelfrey or Mulvey given the chance and play the Park’s and Lawrence’s of the world.

Scott: You are in total fantasy. When the X man was traded Willie played Milz, but the GM, who in case you have forgotten, picks the players and makes the trades, traded for Green. When Willie started playing Gotay last year, Omar traded for an old guy. When they needed a starter in September, Omar brought Lawrence back up for the start. When Pelfrey ws struggling, Omar sent him down. The manager has to go with the old guys the lousy GM feeds him. Willie ain’t perfect but he ain’t the GM.

Carlos needs to shut up. The best team is the team the WON the division. I don’t care what you think of yourself, if you can’t do it ON the field then you are what you are. A second place team that can’t hold a 7 game lead with 17 to go.